Air Products and NSPE hydrogen fuelling station

Air Products and NIPPON STEEL & SUMIKIN PIPELINE & ENGINEERING CO. LTD. (NSPE) have successfully constructed and placed onstream their first retail hydrogen fuelling station in Tokyo, Japan. JX Nippon Oil & Energy, one of Japan’s largest developers of hydrogen fuelling stations, is contracted with NSPE to supply the station with hydrogen. Air Products and NSPE signed an agreement in February 2014 to work together on Japan’s developing hydrogen fuelling infrastructure market. Under this exclusive arrangement, the parties are currently constructing another station in Hokkaido, Japan, which will be onstream in September 2016.

“We were honoured to work with NSPE and achieve success in constructing and delivering the station to meet the growing demand for fuelling hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in Japan. The station was completed on schedule, passed all of its standard testing the first time through and is fuelling vehicles regularly. We are pleased to continue collaborating with NSPE in the Japan market, where many more hydrogen fuelling stations are already planned,” said Ed Kiczek, Global Business Director of Hydrogen Energy Systems at Air Products. Kiczek added that Air Products has operated in Japan since 1970, and works through its established wholly owned subsidiary, Air Products Japan, on hydrogen fuelling opportunities.

“The station is the first under the collaboration between NSPE and Air Products. In Japan, where the FCV commercial market was the first to be developed in the world, NSPE, as an engineering company delivering pipeline, LNG and other energy infrastructure, will continue to supply safe, reliable hydrogen for fuelling together with Air Products,” said Hideki Imai, Director of Plant Division at NSPE.

The Tokyo location is the first station in Air Products’ and NSPE’s collaborative effort. The Tokyo location uses Air Products’ SmartFuel® hydrogen fuelling station technology and fuelling protocol license. Air Products also provided infrastructure engineering and design, while NSPE provided engineering, construction, and adapted the technology for the Japanese market.

The use of the company’s fuelling technology is increasing and is already used in conducting approximately 1 million hydrogen fills per year. The company has been involved in over 200 hydrogen fuelling projects in the US and 20 countries worldwide.